Kudankulam-I to start functioning by December

New Delhi, July 25 (PTI) The much-delayed first unit of
Kudankulam nuclear power plant in southern India, being built
with Russian collaboration, will be operational by December,
setting in motion the roadmap that the two countries are
working on in the field of atomic energy cooperation.
The two countries will discuss the next steps in the
roadmap besides other issues when Indian Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao travels to Moscow on August 2 for Foreign Office
Consultations.
Under the roadmap, a number of nuclear reactors would be
set up by Russia in India, sources said here.
Four of the reactors are envisaged to be established in
Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and one in Haripur in West Bengal
state in east India, with scope for more in future.
The 1000 MW Kudankulam-I will be commissioned by
December, nearly three years after work began on it, the
sources said.
The plant will be made operational irrespective of
whether the proposed nuclear liability legislation is enacted.
The liability bill, which provides for compensation in
the event of an accident, has got caught into a controversy
with several political parties demanding its redrafting.
Russia, whose nuclear industry is state-controlled, is
not too hung up on passage of the liability bill unlike the US
which has insisted on such a law before its companies could
start business in India.
The second unit of Kudankulam power plant will be made
operational within six months of commissioning of the Unit-I.
The proposal to set up a Russian nuclear plant in Haripur
is facing resistance from local people but the government is
hopeful of convincing them about its utility and allay their
apprehensions.
During her visit, Rao will also discuss issues related to
defence cooperation under which Russia is upgrading Sukhoi
fighters. The two countries are also working to develop 5th
generation stealth fighters.
The two sides will also exchange views on Afghanistan and
the situation in rest of the region during the Foreign Office
Consultations.
The agenda for the India-Russia Summit to be held here in
December will also be firmed up. PTI AKK
MRD